Three Rotherham men jailed for child sex abuse

Three Rotherham men have been jailed following the first trial from the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Inquiry into historical sex abuse in Rotherham.

Operation Stovewood was set up by the NCA to investigate child abuse and sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 to 2013.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how the actions of three men had ruined a victim’s teenage years. Sajid Ali 38, Zaheer Iqbal 40 and Riaz Makhmood 39 were convicted of 15 counts of indecent assault.

In an impact statement, the victim described that she, “was 12 years old at the time the abuse began in the mid 1990s. She had not been popular at school when she started spending time with Ali, Iqbal and Makhmood, who she knew as ‘Sos, Booty and Raz’, as they had made her feel wanted.

She believed Ali was her boyfriend but within weeks of meeting them they began to talk about sex. She had not been forced to do anything but the men, who were teenagers at the time, had made her feel that she should.”

The statement, which was read by Prosecutor Sophie Drake, stated that the abuse had caused the victim to suffer from “eating disorders, anxiety and depression.”

“I’ve tried everyday to put these things behind me and while I manage most of the time they still haunt me.”

All three men denied the charges, with Ali even denying that he knew the victim.

In passing the sentence the Judge said, “The offences involved the exploitation and abuse by all three of you together of what at the time was a young and vulnerable girl. She was groomed, coerced and intimidated, she was called abusive names and she was treated like a thing, a thing that you passed around among yourselves.”

Ali, of James Street, Masbrough, Rotherham, was convicted of seven counts of indecent assault and jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

Iqbal, of St John’s Avenue, Masbrough, was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault and given a seven-and-a-half year prison sentence.

Makhmood, of Falding Street, Masbrough was convicted of three counts of indecent assault and jailed for six years and nine months.

Paul Williamson, from the NCA made the following statement: “Our mission is to make Rotherham a hostile environment for anyone who has committed child sexual exploitation during the period of our operation.”

Jordans Solicitors have a dedicated team of highly specialist lawyers who can ensure your claim is handled sensitively, enabling you to secure the best level of compensation from those responsible for your traumatic experiences.

If you would like help with pursuing a clam please contact one of our expert’s child abuse lawyers on 0800 9555 094 for a confidential discussion.